To hear Anthony Pettis talk about not being a kid anymore, at the staggering "old" age of 25, almost is reason to cut him off – to tell him a thing or two about being old.

"What I wouldn't give to be 25 again ..." is the temptation. But he goes on, uninterrupted, until he hits his point, which is a good one.

But the time off has taught the old man, who will turn 26 on Jan. 27, the day after he fights Cerrone, a few lessons.

"One of them is, I'm not just a kid and can jump right back from injuries," Pettis told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I've had injuries when I was younger and I'd jump right back and be ready to go. Now I have to worry about my body long-term and do it the right way. I can't cut any corners, I can't take any shortcuts. This has to be done and healed up 100 percent, or my career is at stake. That's a big lesson I learned."